


Etched

by thotbarnes



Series: Stevebucky ficlets [1]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-08-01 12:56:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16285010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thotbarnes/pseuds/thotbarnes
Summary: Bucky had grown up knowing to be ashamed of the words on his arm. “I don’t need your fucking help.” Not exactly what you want your soulmate’s first words to you to be.





	Etched

Bucky had grown up knowing to be ashamed of the words on his arm. “I don’t need your fucking help.” Not exactly what you want your soulmate’s first words to you to be. As soon as he was old enough for the tattoos to appear, his friends couldn’t wait to start asking each other what they had. Most of them had pretty standard tattoos, “Hey, hi, hello, what’s your name?” A few of them had some more interesting ones, “Is this your dog? Watch where you’re going! Hey, you dropped this!” Even one very entertaining, “Fuck!”

Bucky was the only one, however, who had something really and truly negative. He didn’t know what was so wrong with him that even his own soulmate would hate him so much not to want his help before he even knew him. Bucky grew up always wanting to help people; it was what he did best. Protected others. Whether that was his younger siblings or the younger kids that lived in his building, and he couldn’t imagine the idea of someone hating the look of him so much, that his very first words would be so full of venom. Bucky Barnes did not want those words on his arm. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t go away. His left arm was littered with scars and burn marks, yet they still were there no matter what, coming through on top of the scars and never letting themselves be covered.

By the time Bucky was a senior in high school, he had accepted that they were there, but it didn’t make them hurt any less. Any time he met a stranger, he was hesitant, always waiting. Waiting for them to break his heart in person this time rather than in ink on his skin. Every day he walked to school, steeling himself to meet someone in the hallway or on his way to or from his apartment, and every day he wore long sleeves.

It was toward the end of the year when he was walking home from class, backpack stuffed with assignments his teacher had given him to do over the weekend when all of a sudden he heard a noise coming from a nearby alley. Concerned, he peaked his head into the alleyway when he noticed there were two people standing at the end. At first, he almost left them, assuming it was two friends who were probably up to no good. Then, he heard a smack as fist hit bone and realized that at least one of them was up to no good and in the worst of ways. Coming closer into the alley, he spotted a kid he recognized from his class, one of the mean bully types who was used to getting his way and stepping on anyone he needed to in the process. Across from him was a skinny kid he thought he had seen a few times in passing at school. One of those kids that everyone loved to pick on just because it was easy. Bucky knew he couldn’t just sit by and watch as this poor guy got punched probably for no reason at all.

“Hey asshole!” Bucky yelled making his presence known as he stormed closer to the pair of boys. He grabbed the bigger guy by the shoulder, forcing him to look in his direction, before punching him square in the nose. He was starting to feel proud of himself for standing up for the little guys of the world when all of a sudden he felt his heart shatter into a million pieces.

“I don’t need your fucking help,” The younger boy spit back at Bucky. Fortunately, one punch was all the bully needed to know to back off, because at that moment, Bucky was frozen.

“I-I’m sorry,” he stuttered, walking backward out of the alley. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” Bucky turned around without sparing another glance at him, before running home and spending the rest of the night crying on his bed.

The next morning, it took everything his mom had in her to convince him to go outside, but she didn’t know what else to do and knew it wasn’t healthy for him to lay in bed all day in the dark. Bucky was sitting on the steps of his building, refusing to look anyone in the eyes, just wanting to keep to himself when suddenly he could hear someone walk up to him.

“Hey…” he heard a familiar voice say. Bucky’s eyes jumped up and saw the same kid from the alley yesterday. My soulmate, he thought. My soulmate who hates me.

“Um hi,” Bucky managed to get out. “I’m so sorry about yesterday man; I didn’t mean to make you upset I was just trying to help.”

“No, no, that’s why I’m here,” The other boy responded. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to get so angry, and then you just ran off, and I didn’t have a chance to apologize. I’m just so used to everyone treating me like a child, never letting me fight my own battles. I just kinda went off. But I really didn’t mean to, thank you so much for stepping in. I think I might’ve gotten myself in a little over my head with that one.”

Bucky felt a chuckle coming on, even though he tried to force it back down, “Yeah I think he was, what, triple your size?”

“Do you mind if I sit down?” The boy asked him. Upon Bucky’s nodding, he sat down on the steps next to Bucky, a little closer than expected. Seeing him in a closer light, he noticed faded bruises lining the guy’s cheeks and cuts scattered all over his arms and legs. Maybe we’ll have more in common than I thought…

-

Steve grew up getting in fight after fight after fight. He never told anyone what the words on his arm said, despite the amount of prying that occurred when people found out he wasn’t willing to share. The only other person who knew was his mom, and even though she hated when Steve came home bloodied and bruised, she understood why. To be fair, it wasn’t easy knowing the first words you would ever hear your soulmate say were, “Hey, asshole.” It wasn’t until one day when he was walking home from school and saw a boy so beautiful it made his heart stop, that he stopped to think that maybe his soulmate wasn’t talking to him after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on:  
> twitter: @thotbarnes  
> tumblr: @stevebqcky


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